Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Presence of microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals on subantarctic seabirds

Researchers detected microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in subantarctic seabirds, finding contamination in species nesting in remote locations far from direct pollution sources. The findings indicate that ocean currents and atmospheric transport deliver contaminants to even the most isolated seabird colonies.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Presence of microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals on subantarctic seabirds

Researchers detected microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in subantarctic seabirds from remote breeding sites, finding contamination despite geographic isolation from direct pollution sources. The results confirm that oceanic and atmospheric transport pathways carry contaminants to even the most protected seabird habitats.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Exposure to microplastics by pelagic and coastal seabirds from temperate and tropical environments

Researchers examined microplastic exposure in pelagic and coastal seabird species from temperate and tropical marine environments, using the birds' broad spatial distribution and feeding behavior to assess microplastic distribution and concentration patterns across oceanic regions.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Review of contaminant levels and effects in shorebirds: Knowledge gaps and conservation priorities

This review assessed contaminant levels and effects in shorebirds across 93 studies, finding significant knowledge gaps regarding microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and emerging pollutants, and identifying contamination as an understudied but important threat to declining shorebird populations.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Seabirds: studies with parasitofauna and potential indicator for environmental anthropogenic impacts

Seabirds act as environmental sentinels because they accumulate plastic debris, chemical contaminants, and parasites that reflect the health of marine ecosystems. This review calls for seabird monitoring to be integrated with broader marine pollution tracking efforts.

2020 Semina Ciências Agrárias 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion: Are seabirds more affected than other marine species?

This review examines whether seabirds ingest plastic more frequently than other marine species, finding they are among the most affected groups with high rates of plastic ingestion documented across species. The review discusses factors including foraging behavior, habitat, and ocean plastic concentrations that explain why seabirds are particularly vulnerable.

2019 Revista de Iniciación Científica 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Efectos de la Contaminación Plástica en los Ecosistemas Marinos: Un Análisis Actualizado

This review analyzed current evidence on plastic contamination effects on marine ecosystems, examining physical entanglement, ingestion, chemical toxicity, and microplastic impacts on marine biodiversity and food web structure.

2024 Horizon Nexus Journal. 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Contamination of coastal and marine bird species with plastics: Global analysis and synthesis

This review summarizes global data on plastic contamination in coastal and marine bird species across all seven continents, finding that seabirds like fulmars, shearwaters, and albatrosses are the most heavily affected. Birds ingest microplastics, mesoplastics, and macroplastics that can cause death directly through gut blockage and indirectly through toxic chemicals absorbed onto or released from the plastic. Several contaminated species are already classified as endangered.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 22 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Plastic pollution threatens shorebirds: a global review

This systematic review summarizes global research on how plastic pollution threatens shorebirds through ingestion and entanglement. The findings highlight that microplastics are spreading throughout coastal ecosystems, and since shorebirds serve as indicators of environmental health, their contamination signals broader risks to the food webs that also affect human communities.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Prevalência e tipos de plásticos em Albatrozes e Petréis (aves: procellariiformes)

Researchers quantified and classified plastic debris in Procellariiformes seabirds — albatrosses and petrels — found on Brazilian beaches, finding plastic ingestion in multiple species. These ocean-going birds are among the most vulnerable to plastic pollution because they feed from the ocean surface where plastics concentrate.

2022 Biodiversidade Brasileira 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-contaminants of microplastics in two seabird species from the Canadian Arctic

This study examined whether Arctic seabirds that ingest microplastics also accumulate chemical contaminants carried by the plastic particles. The findings suggest that microplastics can act as vectors for delivering toxic chemicals to seabirds, adding to the burden of pollutants already present in Arctic food webs.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of plastic debris on biota and implications for human health: A South African perspective

This review from a South African perspective documents plastic ingestion and entanglement across a wide range of marine species including sharks, fish, turtles, and 36 bird species, with microplastics posing sub-lethal effects and macroplastics causing entanglement deaths. The authors identify the need for better monitoring infrastructure to detect population-level impacts and track human health risks from consuming contaminated seafood.

2020 South African Journal of Science 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Birds and plastic pollution: recent advances

This review summarizes how plastic pollution affects birds across both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, covering ingestion, entanglement, and chemical exposure from macro- and microplastics. Researchers found that hundreds of bird species have accumulated plastic in their tissues, with effects ranging from physical injury to hormonal disruption and reproductive harm. The study positions birds as valuable indicator species for monitoring the broader environmental impact of plastic pollution.

2021 Avian Research 140 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Plastic pollution threatens shorebirds: a global review

This systematic review summarizes global research on how plastic pollution threatens shorebirds. While focused on wildlife rather than human health, it highlights the sheer scale of microplastic contamination in coastal environments where both birds and humans interact with the same food web.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

From mudflats and saltpans to Open Sea: Plastic ingestion and PBDE/MeO-BDE accumulation in Waterbirds from southern Portugal

Researchers studied plastic ingestion and flame retardant chemical accumulation in breeding waterbirds from a coastal lagoon in southern Portugal. They found microplastics in regurgitated pellets and droppings from multiple species, with gulls and terns ingesting the most particles. The study also detected persistent flame retardant chemicals in eggs, feathers, and preen oil, suggesting that plastic pollution exposes coastal birds to both physical and chemical hazards across their feeding habitats.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Seabirds from the poles: microplastics pollution sentinels

Researchers reviewed four decades of studies on microplastic ingestion by seabirds in Arctic and Antarctic regions, covering at least 13 species. They found that polar seabirds regularly ingest microplastics, with polyethylene being the most common type detected. The study highlights that even some of the most remote ecosystems on Earth are not immune to plastic pollution.

2024 Frontiers in Marine Science 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Uso de recursos de origen antrópico por parte de aves marinas que reproducen en la Patagonia argentina

This study synthesized research on how seabirds breeding along the Argentine Patagonian coast use human-derived resources, including discarded fishing bycatch, urban waste, and anthropogenic nesting materials. Researchers found that at least fifteen species rely on such resources for food or nesting, with commercial fishing waste being the most widely used across twelve species. The findings highlight concerns about microplastic and debris ingestion alongside potential benefits, underscoring the complex relationship between marine birds and human activities.

2024 El Hornero 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Birds as bioindicators of plastic pollution in terrestrial and freshwater environments: A 30-year review

This 30-year review of 106 studies examines how birds in freshwater and land environments are affected by plastic pollution. Most research has focused on larger plastic pieces, while microplastic exposure in these bird species is understudied and nanoplastic exposure has not been investigated at all. The authors urge researchers to develop standardized methods for measuring small plastic particles in birds, which could serve as valuable warning signs of plastic pollution across ecosystems.

2024 Environmental Pollution 36 citations
Article Tier 2

The hidden cost of following currents: Microplastic ingestion in a planktivorous seabird

Researchers documented microplastic ingestion in Mediterranean storm petrels, finding that these planktivorous seabirds ingest microplastics while foraging in pelagic areas where plastic debris accumulates alongside their planktonic prey in ocean currents.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 28 citations
Review Tier 2

Plastics and waterbirds in Brazil: A review of ingestion, nest materials and entanglement reveals substantial knowledge gaps and opportunities for research.

This review of plastics and waterbirds in Brazil found substantial evidence of plastic ingestion and use of plastics as nest material across many species, but identified major knowledge gaps due to limited studies. The authors call for systematic monitoring and greater research attention on how plastic pollution affects Brazil's rich waterbird diversity across its vast aquatic environments.

2023 Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics ingestion and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) by breeding seabirds in the east tropical Atlantic: Associations with trophic and foraging proxies (δ15N and δ13C)

Scientists studied five species of tropical seabirds and found endocrine-disrupting chemicals in every species tested, including flame retardants, UV filters, and musk fragrances. Birds that ingested more microplastics tended to carry higher levels of certain contaminants, suggesting plastics may act as a delivery mechanism for harmful chemicals. The findings raise concerns about how plastic pollution in the ocean is exposing wildlife to a cocktail of hormone-disrupting substances.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic additives and legacy persistent organic pollutants in the preen gland oil of seabirds sampled across the globe

Researchers analyzed preen gland oil from 145 seabirds across 32 species worldwide for plastic additives and legacy persistent organic pollutants. The study found PCBs and pesticides were ubiquitous and correlated with trophic level, while plastic-associated UV stabilizers were detected in 46% of individuals, suggesting that seabirds are exposed to plastic-derived chemicals alongside traditional pollutants through their diet.

2021 Environmental Monitoring and Contaminants Research 67 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics and the Impact of Plastic on Wildlife: A Literature Review

This review synthesizes evidence on microplastic ingestion and accumulation in seabirds and wildlife, examining the pathways by which microplastics move through marine food webs and the potential physiological harm to upper-trophic predators.

2020 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the risks of marine debris ingestion to Procellariiform seabirds

This study assessed the risks of marine debris ingestion for Procellariiform seabirds — one of the world's most threatened bird groups — finding that plastic ingestion poses significant risks to health and survival. The analysis highlights how plastic pollution interacts with other stressors affecting globally threatened seabird species.

2018 Open Access Repository (University of Tasmania) 1 citations